Actor Emraan Hashmi says audiences have evolved and do not mind kissing scenes, which he believes were included in films a decade ago purely for the effect.

The actor, who was once labelled as "serial kisser" for his on-screen image, said he gradually stopped doing intimate scenes, where unnecessary.

"There's always an emphasis on that (kissing scenes) which I have tried to stay clear of. It comes with the kind of shows or movies that you do, those things are not sprinkled for effects. They used to be, 15 years back, to titillate the audience. But now the audience has grown up, become matured," Emraan told reporters.

He was speaking at the launch of the book "Bihar Diaries" by Amit Lodha.

The actor said for him, the primary reason for choosing a project has always been the script and the character.

"The youngsters are exposed to a lot more than that. So the underlining which was there during 'Murder' 15 years ago, it's not necessary anymore. I don't choose films just because that's (kissing scene) there. I choose a film because of its story and the character," he added.